The evening’s performance at downtown club Mill City Nights, started with an opening 45 min. set from New York alternative four-piece, X Ambassadors, who has had a recent EP out, The Reason …

Mother Nature always wins—

We learned that again over the previous weekend as the Chipotle Cultivate Festival came to town for a day long adventure of food, ideas, and music.

Having just completed its fifth year, the one-day free festival included cooking demonstrations by celebrity chefs, live music, local food artisans, breweries, wineries, a special Chipotle festival menu, and other activities emphasizing fresh food made with sustainably raised ingredients.

In addition, there were a handful of interactive experiences focused on sustainable food – including issues surrounding GMOs, how to make guacamole, and the reality of processed foods, as well as a Kid’s Zone. Surly Brewing teamed with the festival to create a Rhubarb Farmhouse Ale saison exclusively for the event as well.

Hippo Campus

The crowd at the music stage began swelling very early on, as local favorites Hippo Campus played first, with a spirited 40 min. set that included new single, ‘South’ (EP out Oct 2 on Grand Jury Records)as well as favorites from their debut EP, Bashful Creatures.

The St. Paul foursome with a peppy Vampire Weekend-esque indie-pop sound has a large area following and includes guitarist/ vocalist Jake Luppen, guitarist Nathan Stocker, bassist Zach Sutton and drummer Whistler Allen. “We’re gonna finish off with a classic”, Luppen cheekily said, ending with the title track from their initial EP, “…have a burrito for me”, Luppen added.

Anderson East

The southern soul of Anderson East was next, the Alabama native touring in support of his third and latest, Delilah (Low Country Sounds/Elektra). His slightly raspy voice echoed his Baptist upbringings, with East saying early on, “Did anyone bring their dancing shoes? ...you’re sure gonna need ‘em!”.

A crack band with organ and slide guitar backed the singer, even adding in a mid-set cover of The Faces’ ‘Stay with Me’, slightly slowed and less manic than the original, simmering with Southern spices. Ending with ‘Satisfy Me’, East’s set clocked in at the same running time as his major label debut, a too-brief 32 min.

X Ambassadors

Clouds started to thicken and the wind picked up as X Ambassadors took to the stage for their 40 min. set. The Ithaca, NY band actually has a local connection, as lead guitarist Noah Feldshuh spent most summers growing up, in nearby Prior Lake, and had many of his extended family in the audience.

The band’s debut full-length, VHS (KIDinaKORNER/Interscope Records) is making waves, thanks to breakout second single, ‘Renegades’ (which has also been smartly placed in a Jeep commercial)and the crowd was on their side from the beginning drum beats of ‘Loveless’ feeding on charismatic front man Sam Harris’ eagerness to interact with the crowd.

Harris broke out his saxophone for the first time in the set on ‘Love Songs Drug Songs’, the crowd sang along to the chorus of ‘Unsteady’, and the band ended with ‘Jungle’, the album’s initial single done with Jamie N. Commons on record.

Atlas Genius

Flashes of lightning veined the nearby sky as Adelaide, Australia band Atlas Genius came out to their intro music of Etta James’ ‘At Last’. The Aussie band has a new album, Inanimate Objects (Warner Bros Records), out just last week, and offered a preview of several of the new songs during their 40 min. set.

“This is beautiful”, singer/guitarist Keith Jeffery remarked after the first song, “Let’s pray to the gods of rock ‘n roll that we have no rain”. ‘If So’ got the crowd clapping, while the crowd heeded Jeffrey’s request to “dance your pants off” on ‘Back Seat’, getting everyone to crouch down then jump up in tandem, saying “that was exactly right” as the song finished.

The first two songs from the new record followed, ‘The Stone Mill’ and current single, ‘Molecules’, with biggest applause reserved for their final song, ’Trojans’, which reached number 4 on the alternative charts.

With the sky darkening and rumbles overhead heard louder, the crowd (many of whom were mimicking Walk the Moon’s colorful face paint on their cheeks) soon received the bad news that a storm was fast approaching and the band would not be playing their headlining set.

A chorus of boos predictably rang out, but were hushed when the band themselves took to the stage to apologize to the audience, even ad-libbing in an acapella verse of ‘Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)’ to try and appease the crowd.

And with that, an orderly crowd exited the festival as dark skies loomed; happy to have had a free day of music, food, and fun, but less than enthused that Mother Nature managed to get the last word in.

I actually really wanted to see Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds last night (April 10th), but it was just not meant to be. Due to bad blizzard conditions in Colorado and Minnesota, Sister Sparrow
....

We previously saw husband-and-wife-fronted five-piece Bora York with Irish band Kodaline. The local band will be at the Varsity Theater next Friday, August 21st for their album release party for Secret Youth.

Their friendsVerskotzi and Graveyard Club to open the show.

What they wrote:

Bora York

Verskotzi

Graveyard Club

Varsity Theater
Friday, August 21
7pm doors | 8pm music
$8 | 18+

Tickets on sale Friday July 10, online and at Loring Pasta Bar, Electric Fetus, Down In The Valley.

All cello rock band Rasputina will be in town on Saturday, August 22nd, at the Turf Club, in support of their latest album Unknown.

Band directress Melora Creager had this to say about the new record, “Unknown is 14 new songs recorded alone in a dank basement studio. I quite liked it though, that dank basement studio. I didn't feel at all alone. Using only one microphone, the whole album poured out of me in just 3 weeks- writing, recording, the whole thing.”

Oddly enough Creager decided this is a CD-only release (no digital) because conceptually this album doesn't exist on the Internet.

We still can't believe the lineup to the Cultivate Festival 2015 show. Originally Misterwives was scheduled to appear, but they had to cancel their appearance. Not to worry, X Ambassadors stepped in to fill their slot. Just the headliner alone Walk the Moon is well worth it. Show up early for a good spot.

Saturday, 21 February 2015

SXSW 2015 is taking place March 17–22, 2015. We love this time of the year, as many bands heading down to Austin will likely stop in Minneapolis before or after the event. Keep up with more SXSW coverage at sxsw.weheartmusic.com. ....

Covering Coachella Music Don’t want the expense of hopping a plane to the desert in Indio, CA to fight the crowds and heat, and camp like hermits? Relax and enjoy this Festival’s second weekend from your living room chair, as AXS …

With warm sunshine in short supply, temperatures at or near zero, and a snow pack that seemingly will never melt, it’s probably best to look just past these Winter Blues and preview a taste of what’s ahead in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area this spring and summer.

The official start of Spring may be less than a month away, but these are truly the dog days of what’s turned out to be a pretty frigid winter season. Even W♥M Head Ringmaster Vu, mostly refuses to venture out for these months, and the bands that are daring to tour, are dramatically less in number than in the warmer months.

So with that, we optimistically look ahead at just a few of the upcoming season’s highlights:

MARCH

This month means SXSW or the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, TX, which brings together multitudes of bands March 17-22. Thankfully, several of these bands decide to make a short tour out of getting-to, and going-from SXSW, meaning many of them book an area performance.

Just a few of these acts include The Church, The Twilight Sad, Gang of Four, and The Ting Tings, among the almost 1,000 acts playing in Austin for those few days and are also making a local appearance in March.

Promotional-related appearances have even reached this far north, with SXSW-bound Delta Spirit headlining a free but invite-only intimate show sponsored by Lagunitas beer on March 12, and upstart alternative station Go 96.3 holding their first station-sponsored concert the next night (March 13) with New Politics, Banks, and K Flay.

APRIL

April means Coachella, a massive music festival in the desert of Indio, CA that has recently expanded to two separate weekends. Like SXSW, many bands schedule touring coming or going to the West Coast and Minnesota benefits from some of that. Clean Bandit, George Ezra, Glass Animals, Father John Misty and Milky Chance are just a few of the bands making a local stop en route.

MAY

Northern Invasion (09 May 2015)

Concerts start to ramp up as the weather warms with Slipknot and friends staging a headbanging Northern Invasion in nearby Somerset, WI on May 9.

Local hip-hop collective Rhymesayers bring its more-successful-than-ever Soundset back to Canterbury Park on May 24, with act details announcing soon.

JUNE

Bonnaroo is a growing music festival in Manchester, TN happening June 11-14, and like Coachella and SXSW, fingers are crossed that MN gets a few of those key acts in transit.

Blue Ox Music Festival (11-13 June 2015)

June brings the inaugural Blue Ox Music Festival to nearby Eau Claire, WI from the 11th-13th, focusing on Americana and Bluegrass with acts such as Pert Near Sandstone, Justin Townes Earle, and Sam Bush.

Rock the Garden returns to the Walker Art Center as a two-day affair June 20/21, with acts to be announced on-air March 31st. Wishful thinking says Belle and Sebastian w/Courtney Barnett (who are touring together), Run the Jewels, and Florence + the Machine would be great additions, though it’s all pure speculation.

UPDATE: 89.3 The Current announced last week that the RTG lineup announcement has been bumped up, now to be revealed on March 10.

Twin Cities Jazz Festival (25-27 June 2015)

Last year’s fun, free, and outdoor Twin Cities Jazz Festival was its biggest yet in its 17 years and this year’s (June 25-27) looks to be even bigger, with the not-yet-officially announced Saturday headliner being Dr. John, so keep those Mardi Gras beads handy.

JULY

Taste of Minnesota recently decided to return to last year’s site of Waconia and will be held July 2-5, with a roster of acts expected to be announced soon.

The annual Basilica Block Party is scheduled for July 10/11 and typically features a diverse range of alternative acts over its two main stages, with local acts on a third stage. Jason Isbell was briefly listed as a performer (an artist the sponsoring radio station doesn’t even play), but the listing was removed with full announcements expected late next month.

Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival (17-18 July 2015)

One of the most anticipated events of the summer is the first Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival, scheduled July 17-18, in Eau Claire, WI and curated by Justin (Bon Iver) Vernon and Aaron (The National) Dessner. In addition to their own bands, Charles Bradley, Doomtree, Spoon, and The Lone Bellow, round out a very full bill.

The annual Vans Warped Tour returns on July 26 at Canterbury Park, with Blessthefall, Splitbreed, and Family Force 5 among the dozens of bands performing.

Lollapalooza happens in Chicago on July 31- August 2nd, and with its close proximity to Minneapolis, expect several of the bands playing there, to make a stop here. Acts to be announced.

AUGUST

Summer Set (14-16 August 2015)

August begins with the mostly EDM and hip-hop related festival Summer Set at Somerset Amphitheater on August 14-16, with acts to be announced.

Chipotle recently announced its free Cultivate Festival is returning on August 22, headlined by Walk the Moon, who has a two-night already upcoming in March at First Avenue, with other acts to be announced.

The end of the month brings the last days of summer and the glorious twelve days of the Minnesota State Fair, running August 27-Sept 7. In addition to the Grandstand evening shows (some already announced include Carrie Underwood, Def Leppard, and Alan Jackson, with more TBA) most of the artists on the free Leinie Lodge Bandshell have leaked out. Look forward to two-night stands from PineLeaf Boys, Sonny Knight and the Lakers, ex-Foreigner vocalist Lou Gramm, swamp blues guitarist Kenny Neal, and just maybe, Merle Haggard.

TBD (and rumors)

Will this finally be the year the First Avenue Festival gets off the ground, after a couple years of delays due to bookings and logistics?

Rumors are that Target Field is working on a non-country show to be booked in sometime this summer. As much as I’d like it to be AC/DC and/or The Rolling Stones, who have both announced summer stadium tours, it will more likely be along the lines of Jimmy Buffet, who’s heading out this summer as well.

We ended up loving the first Festival Palomino experience, held last September as a Trampled by Turtles curated festival, and despite the bad weather that chased 10,000 people indoors for two hours we hope it returns again.

Prince has had two new albums out for some time (with no real tour that followed), and a deal with Warner Brothers that returned his masters of the classic songs to him. 2015 is perfect timing to re-establish himself on the concert stage and fingers are crossed that he does something completely memorable locally.

Could 2015 mark the long-awaited return of Jack White (who hasn’t come to town since a two-night stand in 2005 with The White Stripes)?

WHEW!

With this just being the tip of the concert iceberg ahead (expect the unexpected shows too) and warmer days within sight, it’s hard NOT to get excited about live music in the upcoming months.

♥♥♥We Heart Music will do our best to bring you all the details and reports! ♥♥♥

Monday, 02 June 2014

Minneapolis’ annual summer music festival Rock the Garden used to be a single Saturday in June, featuring four to five bands as well as tons of local food and drink vendors to satisfy hungry concertgoers …